In honor of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, we’re highlighting some of the masterful word choices that exemplify music’s most language-loving genre.

🎤 Cause I am not a word, I am not a line
I am not a girl that could ever be defined
I am not fly, I am levitation
I represent an entire generation

Nicki Minaj, "Fly (feat. Rihanna)" (Pink Friday, 2010, Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records, and Universal Motown Records)

✏️ Embody and represent both mean to serve as a symbol for something larger. Embody suggests a purposeful effort to reflect an ideal. Represent is often used in the context of a group or movement for which an exceptional person has become a prominent emblem.

Tune in to tomorrow’s Synonym of the Day for a perfect word choice from a track by Erik B & Rakim.

In honor of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, we’re highlighting some of the masterful word choices that exemplify music’s most language-loving genre.

🎤 If you battle me, I will revile
People always saying my style is wild
You've got gall, you've got guile
To step to me, I’m a rapophile

Beastie Boys, “Intergalactic” (Hello Nasty, 1998, Capitol Records and Grand Royal Records)

✏️ Cleverness emphasizes being intelligent, whereas guile emphasizes being cunning or crafty and often deceitful and manipulative. While the word guile is often used negatively, guile can be seen as an admirable quality, especially when used in pursuit of a worthy goal.

Tune in to tomorrow’s Synonym of the Day for a perfect word choice from a track by Nicki Minaj.

In honor of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, we’re highlighting some of the masterful word choices that exemplify music’s most language-loving genre.

🎤 Hip-hop pioneers we didn't ask to be
But right then hip-hop changed drastically
People didn't wanna hear the old rap sound
We started samplin' beats by James Brown

KRS-One, “Outta Here,” (Return of the Boom Bap, 1993, Jive Records)

✏️ A pioneer is a leader in a particular field—the first, or one of the first, to do something in a certain way. While a leader is typically the focal point of public attention, the word pioneer emphasizes the person’s cutting-edge work or ideas, regardless of whether they’re acknowledged at the time.

Tune in to tomorrow’s Synonym of the Day for a perfect word choice from a Beastie Boys track.

In the meantime, see our selections for hip-hop's 50 definitive words: